For the second year in a row, Ramadan will be mostly celebrated at home.
With large public gatherings off the cards and many avoiding lavish iftars, homes are the venue of choice for most people marking the holy month.
However, intimate meals and time spent with close family can only be a good thing. If you’re thinking of setting the scene to make it all the more special, here are some Ramadan decor tips from the experts.
All about the entrance
It’s the gateway to your home, the place that first sets the mood – so spruce your entrance up, advises UAE interior designer Neeshay Nouman, founder of The Niche Corner.
“Bring out your nicest console table and position it against a wall in your entryway or foyer. Add a decorative lamp or some formal-looking candle stands, and prop a lantern or two on the floor next to it. Get a metal tray and load it up with dates and place in the centre of the console," she advises.
Finish with a diffuser or an incense burner for an aromatic ambience.
"Remember, this is not your permanent setting so it’s OK to go a tad overboard with the decor during Ramadan and make it as festive as possible," Nouman adds.
Ramadan home tents and majlis-style seating
Ramadan tent permits have been cancelled in Dubai and Abu Dhabi – but you can recreate the magic at home.
There are many ways to craft a home teepee. For a makeshift one in the children's room, tie a cotton clothes line from a curtain rod to a heavy piece of furniture. Layer a thin bed sheet with a traditional Arabesque pattern over it, and tuck the sides under pillows placed on the floor. Make sure you fasten the cloth using pins. You can then line the inside of the tent with a warm rug, more cushions and lanterns.
For a more permanent effect, you can make a simple teepee at home or in the garden. Purchase four eight-foot-tall boards measuring 2.5 centimetres x 5cm, and three 0.6cm wooden dowels that are at least 127cm long. Drill 2cm holes at each end of the boards. Overlap two of the boards so the holes line up and insert the dowel through the hole. The remaining two dowels can be inserted at the holes in the base of the boards. Cover the frame using a bed sheet or blanket in traditional Arabic patterns and colours.
You can also find a plain white teepee online (Noon, Amazon and FirstCry all sell versions) and decorate it in Ramadan colours.
Nouman recommends stocking up on flat seating cushions for the floor of the tent, and topping it up with cushions. Prop a corner table in the centre and add some lanterns for a cosy majlis where you can break your fast with the family.
A number of brands have Ramadan-themed cushions especially for this reason, including Tribe, Pan Emirates and Danube Home.
Add new elements to the house
"Start with identifying the colour palette," advises Farah Merhi, a Lebanese-American designer who has teamed up with Home Centre to bring her Inspire Me! Home Decor collection to the region.
"Decorative cushions are a must to elevate the room, whether added to your sofa or armchairs. Add texture by styling a throw blanket on your sofa. Anchor the room and add warmth by choosing a rug with beautiful colours and a fun pattern," she says.
For those looking to add new furniture to the house, brands across the region have released Ramadan-themed collections. In March, Danube Home released a Ramadan e-catalogue with a number of pieces in Arabesque styles.
Creative cutlery
Dining together for iftar is one of the hallmarks of Ramadan, so there’s plenty of reason to spruce up that dining table.
"We're seeing a lot of formal dinnerware being used to curate the perfect setting," says Kelly Smith, head of visual merchandising at homeware brand aura Living. "These settings are, in some instances, for a lot smaller gatherings, so even more detail is being put into each one of them. A trend we're seeing is a lot of gold accents and traditional Arabic calligraphy, with accents of intricate Arabesque patterns."
One such example would be the brand's Famiglia range. In recognition of the fact many families still aren't able to meet owing to travel restrictions and guidelines regarding gatherings, aura Living has released a playful cartoon dinnerware set designed by Layan Al Hamed to add some whimsy, while reminding people of the importance of family.
Ramadan tablescaping
Katie Watson Grant, who launched her "tablescape-in-a-box" company Lavender & May in 2020, advises hosts to keep the centrepieces simple.
“At iftar, food should be the focus so go heavy on the place settings instead. Use taper candle sticks or a string of lantern lights or a vignette of Arabic lanterns on the centre of your table for a simple look," she says.
"Another traditional Ramadan decoration is the crescent Moon. Use this in new and modern ways by adding ribbon to small ones and tying round your napkins, or asking your florist to create small Moon-shaped arrangements.”
Lighting
Nouman believes that, when it comes to lighting, the more the merrier.
"Whether you decide to grab some battery-operated fairy lights, tall lanterns or wax candles, either way you will set the mood," she says.
"Bath & Body Works has candles and traditional candle holders and, for a simpler twist, try tea light candles. Fill up a wide bowl with water, pop in tea light candles and flower petals and you have a lovely, cost-effective decor idea."
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Read more about the coronavirus
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Sand storm
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- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
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- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
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- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
